Electrical supply installations

ABSTRACT

An adaptor for tapping current from an electrical supply track of the continuous outlet type has a nose portion insertable into the track channel, and a hook support which is engageable with the channel, so that the adaptor is engageable in the channel by a simple manipulation involving insertion of the nose portion accompanied by tilting of the adaptor about an axis parallel with the length of the track. Releasable latching means prevent inadvertent disengagement of the adaptor, once correctly inserted in the track. A novel supply connector is also described, comprised of two wedge like components for wedging engagement between the side walls of the track channel.

United States Patent [191 Heritage Oct. 7, 1975 ELECTRICAL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS [75] Inventor:

22 Filed: July 13, 1973 21 Appl.No.:379,079

Robert Heritage, London,'England Hyrylainen 339/21 R Hoffmeister 339/21 R Primary ExaminerJoseph McGlynn Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow & Garrett [57] ABSTRACT An adaptor for tapping current from an electrical supply track of the continuous outlet type has a nose portion insertable into the track channel, and a hook support which is engageable with the channel, so that the adaptor is engageable in the channel by a simple manipulation involving insertion of the nose portion accompanied by tilting of the adaptor about an axis parallel with the length of the track. Releasable latching means prevent inadvertent disengagement of the adaptor, once correctly inserted in the track. A novel supply connector is also described, comprised of two wedge like components for wed ging engagement between the side walls of the track channel.

8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1915 Sheet 2 of4 3,910,667

U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,910,667

, 1 ELECTRICAL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS This invention relates to electricalsupply installations of the continuous outlet type, comprising one or more elongated track members having a channel in which are located current supply conductors, and one or more adaptors engageable in the track channel at substantially any point along the length thereof, each adaptor having contact fingers for engaging the conductors in order to power a lighting or other appliance which is mechanically supported by the adaptor.

, Most, if not all, adaptors in present use require twohanded operation to couple them to the track members, since the user must support the weight of the adaptor and the appliance with one hand, while-completing mechanical fixing of the adaptor in the track channel with the other hand, and it has been apparent for several years now that users would prefer, in the interest of convenience and safety to use an adaptor capable of one-handed manipulation into engagement with the track channel.

One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a new and improved adaptor specifically designed for one-handed mechanicalengagement with a track member.

, To this end, the invention provides an adaptor comprising an insulated body having a nose portion provided with a laterally projecting hook portion adapted to engage a co-operating support in the track channel by insertion of the nose portion into the channel and concomitant tilting of the adaptor about an axis parallel with the length of the channel, and releasable latching means to prevent inadvertent .tilting of the adaptor out of its engaged position. The latching means may be automatically engaged upon insertion of the adaptor into the track channel and may comprise a spring loaded latch mounted on the adaptor for engagement with an abutment provided in the trackchannel. The adaptor preferably has movable contact fingers mechanically. interlocked with the latching means to prevent release of the latching means until the contacts are disengaged from the track conductors. The contact fingers may be operated through a snapaction mechanism, such a toggle switch, in order to safeguard against arcing between the fingers and the track conductors, or may be operated by a rotary cam. In addition to the ease with which this adaptor can be engaged, it has the advantage that the weight of the adaptor and its appliance is transferred to the track The inventiondoes not, of course, preclude the use of a metal tracksection wherein considerations arise of appearance ormaximum strength and rigidity.

The inventionalso provides a new and improved form of connector, for connecting the track' conductors to a supply: j f

In a presently preferred embodimenatlie su'pply connector consists essentially of twocompon'ents', one having fixed or spring contacts for engagement with the track conductors; and suitable terminal means for receiving supply loads, and a second,,.-locking component. Both components are insertable separately into a track channel through the open mouth thereof (or through one end) and are movable into wedging engagement with each other (preferably in directions parallel with the length of the track channel) so as to befirmly engaged against the respective sidewalls of the track channel. The use of separate fixing devices, such as fixing screws may thus be obviated, although such additional devices may, of course, be employed if desired.

One constructional form of continuous outlet installation in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of a track member illustrating an adaptor and its manner of engagement 7 FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of an adaptor in its operative and inoperative condition, respectively;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an adaptor illustrating a possible form of latching means;

. FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-section through a supply conductor;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrammatic isometric views of the connector shown assembled with the track and removed therefrom, respectively;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic end view of a further form of adaptor;

FIG. 9 is a side view of some internal components of the adaptor of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a section on the line XX of FIG. 9.

The installation shown in FIG. 1 comprises a rigid extruded metal track member 1: of channel cross-section, and a plastics insulator 2 securely located in one side of the channel and housing supply conductors 3.

An earth continuity strip contact 4 is securely mounted to the same side of the channel close to the base wall 5 of the channel, just above an inwardly projecting flange 6. The opposite side wall of the member 1 is provided at its free end, adjacent the open mouth of the channel, with'a narrow flange 7 which serves as a.l'atch abutment, in a manner to be described below.

The adaptor 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises an insulated' housing having a body portion 1 1 and a projecting nose portion 12, tapering in width towards its free end, at which there is formed a laterally projecting hook portion 13.

To engage the adaptor, it is offered up to the track channel in the manner indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1, being tilted to the vertical to allow the nose portion to pass upwardly into the channel and, when fully inserted, to be tilted back to the full-line position shown in FIG. 1, in which the hook portion 13 engages over and is supported by the flange 6. Preferably, and as shown, the adaptor has a spring loaded latch 14 which snaps over the narrow flange 7 to lock the adaptor against the (anti-clockwise) tilting movement required to release it from the track member. The latch is, of course, manually releasably by a push button or equivalent means, not shown.

The hook portion 13 of the adaptor is arranged to make earthing contact with the strip contact 4, optionally through the intermediary of a spring contact memfingers 17 which, in the operative condition of the contacts, project outwardly through slots 18 in the adjacent side wall of the nose portion 12 as shown in FIG.

2. The support 16 is-pivotable about the pin 16A between its two illustrated positions by means of an operating dolly l9 pivoting about a fixed pin 19A and having a spring loaded plunger 20, constituting a snap action operating member for the contacts. Various mechanical arrangements could, of course, be employed for effecting operation of thecontacts, and in some cases we may prefer to have the contacts fixed, relative to the nose portion, and, if desired, to provide a separate switch between the contact strips and terminals (not shown) to which theappliance flex is connected.

We prefer to provide a mechanical interlock between the contacts and the latch arrangement, so that the latch can only be released when the contacts are in the retracted, inoperative position shown in FIG. 3. This can be arranged in various ways, for example by using the contact support 16 as a mechanical stop to obstruct movement of the latch member out of its engaged position. One possible arrangement of this type is shown in FIG. 4, in which the latch takes the form of a swinging hook member 25, and the contact support 16 has a projecting stop 26 which obstructs movement of the hook away from its latching position until the carrier is pivotally moved to its inoperative position.

FIGS. to 7 illustrate a presently preferred form of supply connector in accordance with the invention. The connector comprises two component parts. One part comprises an insulated body 30 which has at one end a sloping wedge face 31 and which houses a pair of supply contacts 32 terminating in contact fingers 33 projecting laterally through slots in the body 30. The body also houses respective terminal blocks 34 for the contacts and a cable grip 35. The adjacent end of the body may have, as shown, transverse end flange 37 apertured to receive a supply cable and shaped to match the profile of the track member 1 to form an end closure or escutcheon plate. The component may be inserted through the end of the track channel to bring the contact fingers 33 into proximity with the track conductors 3;

The second component is simple mechanical wedge 36 which is insertable through the open mouth of the track channel and is then moved longitudinally within the channel to bring its wedging face into engagement with the face 31, the resultant lateral reactions serving to clamp the components of the supply connector into secure engagement with the respective opposed channel side walls of the track members 1, and to press the fingers 33 into firm engagement with-the track conductors 3.

A separate cover plate may be provided if desired, but the wedge component preferably incorporates its own cover plate which covers that face of the body 30 adjacent the open mouth of the channel. A fixing screw 38 may be provided to lock the two parts together in their assembled operative position.

The end plate or flange 37 may be omitted if it is desired to insert the body 30 through the open mouth of the channel rather than through one end.

The main advantages of this supply Convector are its simple and rugged construction, with no moving parts, and the ease with which it can be securely engagedin the track. I

The track itself is shown as having conductors 3 arranged only on onen side thereof, but it could have another set of conductors, on the other side to provide a multi-circuit facility each of the above described adaptors being reversed laterally to employ the other set of conductors as desired. I

Such a track, and a special double-sided adaptor for use therewith, are illustrated, mainly diagrammatically, in FIGS. 8 to 10.

The track member 1 has two opposed plastics insulators 2, in which are embedded respective pairs of conductors 3N, 3L1, 3L2 and 3L3, thus providing three possible supply circuits all using a common neutral return 3N. The adaptor correspondingly has four movable contacts, as will be described in more detail below. As may be understood from FIG. 8, the manner of inserting and engaging the adaptor is similar to that indicated in FIG. 1, to engage the hook 13 of the nose portion 12 over one or other of the two internal flanges 6 of the track member.

In this embodiment, mechanical locking of the adaptor is effected by operation of a rotary, multiple, cam 40, the, uppermost cam 401 of which constitutes a mechanical locking member in the form of a disc having a single flat 41 which, in an initial, extreme rotary position of the cam 40, is set in from the adjacent side wall of the nose portion. This position is indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 8. A first indexed displacement of the cam 40 brings the full profile of the locking member 401 into engagement with the adjacent flange 6, the member having an outwardly projecting flange portion 401A which overlies the flange 6. Thus, the cam 401 prevents release of the adaptor from the channel until such time as the multiple cam 40 is returned to its initial position. The rotary cam 40 has four further cams 402, 403, 404 and 405 for controlling operation of respective contact fingers 17N, 173, 172 and 171.

At its lower end, the cam has an indexing disc406, formed with a number of pips or projections for engagement with an indexing spring 42 mounted in the housing of the adaptor. A rotary operating knob 43 projects outside the adaptor housing and facilitates manual rotation of the multiple cam 40;

. Each'contact takes the form of a pivoted lever, having a longer arm whose free outer end is aligned with a slot in the adjacent side wall of the nose portion of the adaptor and a short arm engaged with a respective cam. The neutral contact 17N is pivoted on a pin 44, and the three live contacts are pivoted on a coaxial pin 45. Associated with each contact is a respective hinge spring 46, having its coil portion engaged around the pivot pin and having one arm engaging the contact and its other arm bearing against a side wall of the housing. The springs are pre-stressed to urge the longer arms of their respective contacts outwardly. However, the shorter arms of the contacts engage the respective cams 402405, which normally hold the contacts retracted against the action of the springs 46, and which only allow the contacts to pivot outwardly when the bottom dwell portions of the cams come round into register with the shorter arms of the contacts.

The cam action is readily understood from FIG. 10 which shows one contact 172 held retracted by its cam 404, while the adjacent contact 171 extends outwardly, because the shorter arm of the contact isin register with the flat on cam 405.

The rotary cam 40 has five angular positions.

in the first position, all contacts are held retracted, and the locking cam 401 is contained within the profile of the adaptor nose portion 12. This is the inoperative condition, in which the adaptor is insertable in and removable from the track.

In the second position, the locking cam 40] engages the track flange 6 to complete the mechanical coupling, and the neutral contact cam 402 allows the neutral contact 17N to project from the housing. These conditions are maintained for each of the subsequent positions.

In the third, fourth and fifth positions, the three live contacts 171, 172 and 173 are allowed to project from the housing in turn, so that in any one of these positions the neutral contact and a respective one of the live contacts project from the nose portion of the housing to engage the respective track conductors 3" and 3L1, 3L2 or 3L3. The adaptor is thus fully interlocked against insertion or withdrawal of the adaptor except when all contacts are retracted. Furthermore the arrangement of the rotary cam 40 to rotate about a vertical axis (ie an axis transverse to the plane containing the mouth of the track channel) enables the depth of the adaptor to be accommodated substantially wholly within the track channel, thus giving a neat finish to the completed installation.

Connections to an appliance are made by a neutral lead 47 connected at one end to the neutral pivot pin 44 and a live lead 48 connected at one end to the live pivot pin 45. Both leads have convenient terminations 47A, 48A to facilitate connection to the live and neutral leads of an appliance flex F. The flex is brought into the adaptor through a cable entry gland (not shown) or any other convenient means and an appliance is suspended from the adaptor by any convenient bracket or stirrup, diagrammatically indicated at B.

With the double sided track described above, a modified form of supply connector having two components carrying contacts maybe employed, or two connectors of the form described and illustrated above may be used.

I claim:

1. An adaptor for use with an electrical supply, channel section track of the continuous outlet type, comprising an insulated body having a nose portion a plurality of contacts mounted in said nose portion and movable in a plane between inoperative retracted positions and operative extended positions in which said contact members project laterally of said nose portion, a laterally projecting hook portion on said nose portion adapted to engage a first co-operating support in said track channel by insertion of said nose portion into said channel section and concomitant tilting of said adaptor about an axis parallel with the length of said channel and parallel with said plane, and releasable latching means being movable into and out of co-operating engagement with a second co-operating support of said track channel offset from the first with respect to the axis about which the adaptor tilts, said latching means extending, in its position of co operating engagement in a lateral direction opposite to the lateral direction of projection of said hook portion to prevent inadvertent tilting of said adaptor out of its engaged position.

2. An adaptor according to claim 1, wherein the said hook is located at the free end of said nose portion, so that, in use, it is positioned at a point remote from the mouth of said channel section.

3. An adaptor according to claim 1 wherein said latching means is spring loaded and adapted to make latching engagement with the said track upon insertion of said nose portion into said track channel.

4. An adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the adaptor has mechanical interlock means acting between said contacts and said latching means, to render release of said latching means dependent upon movement of said contacts to their inoperative positions.

5. An adaptor according to claim 4, wherein said contact fingers are mounted on a carrier structure for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the length of said track channel, and snap acting operating means are provided for moving said contacts between their respective operative and inoperative positions.

6. An adaptor according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of contacts which are pivotal within said nose section about an axis extending transversely to a plane containing the mouth of said track channel, and rotary cam means parallel with the said axis controlling pivotal movement of said contacts between their respective operative and inoperative positions.

7. An adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said rotary cam means comprises a respective cam for each contact, one said contact being moved to its operative position by rotation of said cam means to any one of a plurality of angularly displaced operative positions, and the remaining said contacts being moved into their respective operative positions by rotation of said cam means into different respective ones of said operative positions.

8. An adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said rotary cam means includes a cam portion which constitutes said latching means, being movable into and out of co-operating engagement witha portion of said track member offset from the said hook portion with respect to the axis about which the adaptor tilts. 

1. An adaptor for use with an electrical supply, channel section track of the continuous outlet type, comprising an insulated body having a nose portion a plurality of contacts mounted in said nose portion and movable in a plane between inoperative retracted positions and operative extended positions in which said contact members project laterally of said nose portion, a laterally projecting hook portion on said nose portion adapted to engage a first co-operating support in said track channel by insertion of said nose portion into said channel section and concomitant tilting of said adaptor about an axis parallel with the length of said channel and parallel with said plane, and releasable latching means being movable into and out of co-operating engagement with a second co-operating support of said track channel offset from the first with respect to the axis about which the adaptor tilts, said latching means extending, in its position of co-operating engagement in a lateral direction opposite to the lateral direction of projection of said hook portion to prevent inadvertent tilting of said adaptor out of its engaged position.
 2. An adaptor according to claim 1, wherein the said hook is located at the free end of said nose portion, so that, in use, it is positioned at a point remote from the mouth of said channel section.
 3. An adaptor according to claim 1 wherein said latching means is spring loaded and adapted to make latching engagement with the said track upon insertion of said nose portion into said track channel.
 4. An adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the adaptor has mechanical interlock means acting between said contacts and said latching means, to render release of said latching means dependent upon movement of said contacts to their inoperative positions.
 5. An adaptor according to claim 4, wherein said contact fingers are mounted on a carrier structure for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the length of said track channel, and snap acting operating means are provided for moving said contacts between their respective operative and inoperative positions.
 6. An adaptor according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of contacts which are pivotal within said nose section about an axis extending transversely to a plane containing the mouth of said track channel, and rotary cam means parallel with the said axis controlling pivotal movement of said contacts between their respective operative and inoperative positions.
 7. An adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said rotary cam means comprises a respective cam for each contact, one said contact being moved to its operative position by rotation of said cam means to any one of a plurality of angularly displaced operative positions, and the remaining said contacts being moved into their respective operative positions by rotation of said cam means into different respective ones of said operative positions.
 8. An adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said rotary cam means includes a cam portion which constitutes said latching means, being movable into and out of co-operating engagement with a portion of said track member offset from the said hook portion with respect to the axis about which the adaptor tilts. 